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TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Meds to help you sleep can be risky for some

Lifestyles

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have occasional difficulty when going to sleep and/or getting back to sleep. I have tried Ambien, trazodone, clonazepam and Lunesta. All have their pros and cons. My question regards sleep quality. I know there are several stages of sleep that we should go through and that the brain cleans out junk during sleep. Do these sleep aids still allow a person to go through the needed sleep stages and also allow the brain to clean itself? Are any of these meds better or worse than the others for occasional use? — S.H. ANSWER: How much time we spend in the different ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Single-ply toilet tissue works fine

Lifestyles

DEAR HELOISE: Apparently, there’s truth to the saying, “You’re never really too old to learn new things.” Several months ago, at the tender age of 77, I learned that I’d been purchasing the wrong type of toilet paper for decades. I accidentally purchased a no-frills, plain ol’ roll of single-ply toilet paper versus the multi-ply, quilted, super-soft stuff that I’d bought for years. Here’s what I found out: For our household of two, a single-ply roll costs less than $1 and lasts for eight full days. The quilted rolls, on the other hand, cost more than $1 and barely last ...

Do patients with dementia retain hidden memories?

Lifestyles

Q. My 90-year-old mother has been suffering from dementia. She also has neck pain that was so severe that her doctor prescribed oxycodone for relief. Within just 20 minutes of taking half a pill, she becomes almost her normal self before dementia. It happens every time. We can actually see the change happening. Why don’t they do a study on this? A. Your account is not the first time we have heard that opioids may affect patients with Alzheimer’s disease. More than 25 years ago, a health care professional reported to us that his elderly mother had fallen and broken two ribs. He ...

All about alpha-gal syndrome

Lifestyles

WASHINGTON — It’s common knowledge that ticks can spread infections that cause serious illnesses, including Lyme disease. Now health officials are trying to raise awareness of a lesser-known problem: a life-threatening allergy to meat triggered by tick bites. The problem, known as ...

Health notes

Lifestyles

To include or update items in the weekly Health News list, email information to tmunnell@tribtoday.com or dbigelow@tribtoday.com. The deadline for inclusion for next week’s list is noon Sunday. St. Joe’s at the Mall Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Eastwood Mall. • EXERCISE CLASSES AVAILABLE — Call 330-652-7542 to inquire and register. • FREE BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENINGS: 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, and 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays and Thursdays. • DIETITIAN AVAILABLE: by appointment every first and third Friday; no cost — call ...